


Start of Something New

by ctrl22



Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types, Terminator: Dark Fate
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff, I just felt like writing something cute for once, I think this counts as fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22270657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ctrl22/pseuds/ctrl22
Summary: High School Musical AU (sort of).It's New Year's Eve on the SS Neptune and Grace and Dani have been forced to attend a boring kids' party. They're both having the worst time of their lives, but things get a little more interesting when they meet each other and have to sing a song together.
Relationships: Grace Harper/Dani Ramos, Grace/Dani - Relationship
Comments: 24
Kudos: 57





	Start of Something New

**Author's Note:**

> This is different than what I've posted before, like a complete 360 probably, lol. I don't normally post my non-smut fics on this account, but I felt like sharing it here. Please note that this is a one-shot and a HSM AU (although I have changed certain things to sort of put my own spin on it). I hope you enjoy it anyway even if it's not smut.
> 
> P.S. Italicized sentences are "Spanish".

Aboard the SS Neptune, the mood is extremely lively as passengers party about wildly to celebrate the last few hours of 2019. But the atmosphere in Cabin 28 is a stark contrast to the rest of the cruise ship with 16-year-old Dani Ramos spending her evening quietly reading her physics textbook. Aspiring to be a robotics engineer in the future, Dani is only interested in learning as much as she can (and as fast as she can) to get into her dream university and be one step closer to achieving her goals.

_"Ay, Dani, it's New Year's Eve! Enough reading!"_ Andrea Ramos gives her daughter a disapproving look from across the room, her hands on her hips.

_"Ma, I'm almost done!”_ Dani exclaims when her mother snatches her book right out of her hands.

Andrea tsks. _“You should be at the kids’ party, having fun! Isn’t that what kids at your age should be doing?”_

_“If I do what all the kids my age are doing, I’ll never be the youngest Latina to graduate from MIT,”_ Dani groans.

Andrea squeezes her daughter’s shoulder gently. _“Come now, mija, I’ve laid out your best clothes. I think it would be good for you to be around other people and not just books for once.”_

Dani sighs. _“Fine. But can I please have my book back? I’ll go after finishing this chapter on dynamics.”_

Andrea claps her hands, pleased at having successfully convinced her daughter. _“Okay, but just the one chapter,_ ” Andrea says, wagging her finger.

Dani nods eagerly, crossing her heart. _“One chapter, I promise.”_

***

Meanwhile, on the upper-deck basketball court of the same ship…

“Alright, Grace, keep working your left.” Carl reminds the teen.

Grace bounces the ball a few times and when her uncle least expects it, she turns around quickly, fakes right then dribbles past Carl on the left before throwing the ball, her face breaking into a satisfied smile when it lands in the basket beautifully.

“She shoots, and she scores!” Grace whoops loudly, pumping her fist like it’s the winning point of a championship game.

Suddenly, the two hear someone slow clapping from behind them.

“Congratulations to Grace Harper for leading the East High Wildcats to victory!” cheers Alicia, Carl’s wife.

The blonde puffs up her chest and gives a mock bow. “Thank you, thank you. Just doing my part for the school.”

Carl smiles and walks over to greet Alicia with a side hug. “Honey, did you come to watch us practice?”

“No, I came here to remind you two that we’re on a vacation! Remember what that word means?” Alicia teases.

Grace acts like she’s deep in thought. “Hmm, I think it means more time for basketball practice,” she grins.

“I kept quiet for the entire cruise because I know how much you both love basketball but not tonight.” Alicia aims a pointed look at her husband and her niece. “No, tonight, you guys are going to the New Year’s Eve party!”

Carl smacks his forehead, suddenly recalling it. “The party! Right, right, I did say that I would attend it.” He places the ball back on the wheeled rack. “Let me go for a quick shower and I will meet you there.”

Alicia wears a smug expression. “Good to hear that. I’ll see you soon.” She pecks Carl on the cheek before watching him leave the court. “Grace, they have a kids’ party downstairs that I think you’ll really enjoy.”

Grace makes a face. “Uh…kids’ party?”

Alicia rolls her eyes affectionately. “Fine, young adults’ party, whatever. Now go get cleaned up.”

Although the thought of surrounding herself with little kids is literally the most unappealing thing ever, Grace doesn’t want to disappoint Alicia especially when it was her aunt who had convinced her parents to let her come along on this cruise. Grace finally agrees with a heavy sigh. “Okay, sure, I guess I’ll go.”

Ugh, the things she does for love.

***

Dani severely regrets ever agreeing to come to this party.

She’s been bored out of her mind for the past 45 minutes, mostly keeping to a comfortable corner in the beach-themed lounge while groups of young kids run around chasing each other with sparklers and noisemakers and the older kids play pool or sing completely out-of-tune on the karaoke stage.

Earlier, some girls had approached Dani to make conversation with her but as soon as they started talking about which guys in the room were cute, Dani tuned out completely. The girls found this to be rude and quickly left. Dani was, quite frankly, relieved; straight people could truly be exhausting to deal with at times.

When Dani spots an empty space on the couch, she immediately grabs a seat, tired from all the standing she'd been doing. She’s nodding her head along to a half-decent duet by a couple of snowboarders when someone suddenly joins her on the couch.

“’Sup?”

Dani turns and sees a conventionally attractive dark-haired boy sitting next to her. He flashes her what she supposes is meant to be a charming smile to which Dani responds with a polite hello. Unfortunately, the boy takes Dani’s greeting as an invitation to talk even more to her and for the next 5 minutes, she has to pretend she cares as he tells her about his favorite workout techniques. When the boy moves onto the topic of his favorite health shakes, a fed-up Dani excuses herself to the ladies’ room, and hurriedly walks away.

She groans audibly when she approaches the restroom, noticing how long the line is. _“You’ve got to be kidding me!”_

"Ugh, I know. Tell me about it," says the person before her.

The first thing Dani notices is how cute the girl who says that is. Tall with a lean and muscular body, the girl is dressed in a casual black suit jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans. Her dirty blonde hair is cropped short and has an effortlessly tousled look that gives Dani the biggest urge to run her hands through it. The second thing Dani notices (after a few extra seconds of ogling) is that the girl is clearly white, but still understood her. "You speak Spanish?" Dani asks, mildly impressed.

The blonde blushes slightly. " _A little_ ," she says, her fingers making a pinching motion. "I understand it better than I can speak it, to be honest."

Dani laughs. "That's still pretty good." She sighs at how slowly the line is moving. "I just wanted to pee and then leave this ridiculous party, but I feel like I'm going to be stuck in this line forever!"

The blonde nods her head in agreement. "I know what you mean. I can't wait to ditch this gig too, this is so _not_ the kind of party I'm into."

"Eh, I'm not even into parties in the first place, so…" Dani trails off, shrugging casually.

The taller girl quirks an eyebrow. "Really? So a party with good music, good food, fun games, dancing, and maybe some alcohol doesn't interest you at all?"

Dani shuffles forward as the line to the bathroom slowly progresses. "Hmm…no, not really. I'd much rather enjoy a good book or play board games. Also, I've tried alcohol; it tastes pretty bad, so I think I'll just stick to hot cocoa."

"You're definitely not wrong about alcohol," the blonde chuckles. Then, with a smirk, she adds, "Buuuut…if there was a party where you could do ALL those things, would you be interested then?"

Dani scoffs. "There's no such party."

The blonde grins cutely. "But what if there was? What if…I hosted an all-night reading slash Scrabble-playing slash cocoa-drinking party? Would you come?"

"I guess so," Dani admits, smiling. "But I would probably be the only guest at your party."

"That's cool. It'll be like a date then," the blonde says, a playful glint in her eye.

Dani's mind stops in its tracks all of a sudden. Wait. Is this tall blonde…flirting with her? Not sure how to respond, Dani laughs nervously. “Y-yes, something like that.” She blushes, feeling silly for stammering.

The blonde extends her hand, “I’m Gr-”

But just as she is about to tell Dani her name, one of the bathroom stalls empties and the blonde rushes to enter it, shouting over her shoulder, “Hey, I’ll come find you later, okay?” and then just like that, the girl is gone.

After a few more minutes, it’s Dani’s turn. To her disappointment, she can’t find the blonde again when she leaves the crowded restroom. She decides to head back to the party in hopes of running into the cute girl again.

***

Grace had initially waited outside for the wavy-haired brunette she was talking to earlier, but a bunch of random partygoers had suddenly dragged her into a conga line. After two rounds around the lounge, Grace is finally able to break free, and she goes back to the bathroom to look for the girl but doesn't find her there. Grace sighs and walks back to the party, the whole time she keeps her eye out for any sign of the mystery girl.

As soon as she steps into the lounge, the music that was playing dies down and a bright spotlight lands on her face, practically blinding her. “What the fuck?” she mutters. Then, a loud voice shouts from the stage, “Looks like we’ve found our next singers! Come on up, you two!”

Grace squints her eyes and sees that a second spotlight is shining on another girl from across the room. Does the emcee actually expect them to get up there and sing? No way. Nuh uh. Not happening. Grace quickly shakes her head, “What? No, I can’t sing!” A group of guys cheer loudly and push her towards the center of the room despite her pleas.

Shoved onto the stage, Grace finally gets a good look at her equally unwilling partner. Standing there in a yellow knitted top and blue jeans is the girl Grace has been looking for. The brunette looks like she’s trying to make a run for it when the emcee isn’t looking but stops when Grace and her lock eyes. Grace gives the girl a feeble wave.

The emcee suddenly slaps a mic in each of their hands. “Hey, you know what? Someday you guys might thank me for this. Or not.” He chuckles to himself before leaving the two scared teens standing under the beams of the spotlights.

The brunette mumbles under her breath, _“I really don’t want to do this.”_

Grace attempts an encouraging smile. _“At least you’re not doing it alone,”_ she says in slightly broken Spanish.

The girl manages a half-smile just as the music starts to play.

Grace grips her mic tightly, her palms all of a sudden clammy, and she looks up at the screen with the lyrics. She sees her cue and opens her mouth to sing.

**_**Living in my own world,** _ **

**_**Didn't understand…** _ **

**_**That anything can happen,** _ **

**_**When you take a chance…** _ **

Grace glances expectantly at the other girl. The brunette hesitates for a moment before finally joining in.

**_**I never believed in,** _ **

**_**What I couldn't see** _ **

**_**I never opened my heart…** _ **

Grace smiles, throwing in a casual _"_ ** _ **Ohhh…**_** _"_

**_**To all the possibilities** _ **

**_**Oooh…** _ **

Then, together they sing:

**_**I know…** _ **

**_**That something has changed** _ **

**_**Never felt this way…** _ **

**_**And right here tonight,** _ **

**_**This could be the** _ **

**_**Start of something new** _ **

**_**It feels so right to be here with you, ohhh…** _ **

Grace shares a smile with the other girl as they hit that "Oh" perfectly.

**_**And now I’m looking in your eyes** _ **

**_**I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)** _ **

**_**The start of something new…** _ **

Grace croons, _“_ ** _ **Ohh yeaaahh…**_** _”_ and in one smooth motion, she removes her suit jacket, which makes the mystery girl smile even wider. Grace brings the mic closer to her lips.

**_**Now who’d have ever thought that** _ **

**_**We’d both be here tonight…** _ **

**_**Oohhh…** _ **

**_**Yeahhh…** _ **

**_**And the world looks so much brighter (brighter, brighter)** _ **

**_**Ohh, with you by my side (by my side)** _ **

As the music builds towards the second chorus, the two girls start moving around the stage more comfortably, never once breaking eye contact with each other.

**_**Oh I know that something has changed** _ **

**_**Never felt this way** _ **

**_**I know it for real…** _ **

**_**This could be the** _ **

**_**Start of something new** _ **

**_**It feels so right to be here with you** _ **

**_**Ohhh!** _ **

**_**And now looking in your eyes** _ **

**_**I feel in my heart…** _ **

**_**The start of something new…** _ **

Really getting into the song now, Grace sings the bridge confidently, her nervousness forgotten.

**_**I never knew that it could happen** _ **

**_**Till it happened to me** _ **

**_**Ohhh yeahhh…** _ **

The brunette moves her body along to the music, continuing with her lines as Grace harmonizes with her.

**_**I didn’t know it before** _ **

**_**But now it’s easy to see…** _ **

**_**Ohhh!** _ **

As the crowd cheers louder and louder for them, Grace and the girl really give it their all in the last chorus.

**_**It’s the start of something new** _ **

**_**It feels so right to be here with you** _ **

**_**Ohhh…** _ **

****

Grace dances closer to the other girl.

****

**_**And now I’m looking in your eyes** _ **

**_**I feel in my heart…** _ **

The brunette seems nervous and takes a small step back when Grace dances up to her, but someone in the crowd pushes her forward and their bodies almost knock into one another. They recover in time for the last part, singing loudly:

**_**That it’s the start of something new!** _ **

**_**It feels so right to be here with you!** _ **

**_**Ohhh!** _ **

**_**And now looking in your eyes** _ **

**_**I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)** _ **

**_**The start of something new…** _ **

The music slows down as Grace sings softly, _“_ ** _ **The start of something new…**_** _”_

**_**The start of something…new...** _ **

Their voices blend together beautifully as they end the song, both standing much closer to each other than they were at the beginning. Grace’s gaze lingers on the gorgeous brown-eyed girl as the raucous cheers from the crowd ring in her ears.

“Grace,” she introduces herself, sounding slightly breathless from all that singing and dancing.

“Daniella, but you can call me Dani,” the girl replies with a grin, shaking Grace’s outstretched hand.

“Dani…” Grace repeats softly, liking the way the name sounds on her tongue. “Do you wanna get out of here?”

***

After escaping the party for good, Grace and Dani snag a couple of mocktails on their way out before heading up to the upper deck of the ship to get a good view of the upcoming fireworks.

“But seriously, you have an amazing voice, Dani. You’re a singer, right?” Grace asks, her back leaning against the railing of the deck.

Dani laughs. “What? Me? No way. I mean, I’m in the church choir but that’s all. I tried to do a solo once and I fainted.”

Grace can’t help laughing a little too. “Really? How come?”

“I saw all those people staring at me and the next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling.” Dani shudders just thinking about it again. “So, that was it. End of my so-called ‘solo career’.”

“Well, with the way you were singing tonight, that’s pretty hard to believe,” Grace says, sipping on her mocktail.

Dani smiles from ear to ear. “That was the first time I’ve ever done something like that. It was scary but at the same time, so cool!”

“I know, right?!” Grace grins enthusiastically.

“Well, you sounded like you’ve done a lot of singing too,” Dani points out.

Grace snorts. “Oh yeah, sure, my showerhead is _very_ impressed with me.”

The two of them share a laugh just as the countdown to the New Year starts.

**_**9, 8, 7…** _ **

Their laughter fades out and they stare into each other's eyes, both suddenly very quiet.

**_**6, 5, 4…** _ **

Their heads slowly lean in and Grace glances down at Dani's full lips, thinking to herself how soft they look. She subconsciously licks her own.

**_**3, 2, 1…** _ **

**__ **

**_**Happy New Year!** _ **

With only inches between them, Grace tilts forward, closing the distance until their lips meet. Their kiss is sweet and brief, ending when the sound of fireworks pulls them apart.

Grace and Dani look up to admire the night sky that's suddenly lit up with every color imaginable. Grace spares a side-glance at Dani, smiling to herself when she sees the brunette's mouth is hanging slightly open, gasping in awe at the fireworks.

As the fireworks come to an end, Grace picks up her glass and clinks it against Dani's. _"Happy New Year, Dani."_

Dani smiles up at the blonde, liking the fact that Grace chose to wish her in Spanish. _"Happy New Year,"_ Dani responds, clinking Grace's glass back. When they finish their drinks, Dani clears her throat. "I think I should find my mother and wish her a happy new year."

"Yeah, me too! I-I mean, not your mother. My mother! Well actually, my mom isn't even here, so I'll have to wish my aunt and uncle," Grace rambles, her cheeks coloring slightly. The blonde quickly adds, "Hey, why don't we meet up tomorrow? I could text you?"

Dani grins at Grace's adorableness, her fingers twirling the little umbrella in her glass. "I'd like that."

Immediately after Dani has the blonde's number and she's keyed in the last digit of her own into Grace's cell, she squeaks out a goodbye and rushes off to look for her mother, not giving Grace the chance to say it back.

Grace sighs. She misses Dani's company already, which is kind of embarrassing considering they only just met a couple of hours ago. Still regretting not being able to say goodbye to the girl, Grace whips out her phone again and hastily types out a text to her newly saved number.

\- Just so you know, singing with you was the most fun I've had this entire vacation. -

Grace hits the send button and pockets her phone, smiling all the way back to her cabin. That night, she dreams of warm brown eyes, soft pillowy lips, and the voice of an angel.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. If you liked the story, it'd be cool if you left a kudos or a comment. I'm always happy to get any kind of feedback from the fandom (love you guys).


End file.
